KIEV, Aug. 31 – The idea of creating a free economic zone in Crimea has been rejected, although possible sector benefits, primarily a zero tax on profits for hotels, are being discussed, Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov said in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper.

KIEV, Sept. 1 – The increase of natural gas prices for households will not affect the welfare of Ukrainians citizens, as for most families the price of gas is to grow by less than UAH 20 per month, according to Oleh Ahrba, the chairman of the trade union of gas company workers.

KIEV, Sept. 1 – Ukraine and Britain have signed a memorandum on mutual understanding as a part of a project on centralized nuclear waste storage in Ukraine.

The signing ceremony took place in the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry on Monday with the participation of Emergencies Minister Volodymyr Shandra and Leigh Turner, Britain's ambassador to Ukraine.

KIEV, Aug. 31 – A delay in the delivery by Naftogaz Ukrayiny of its 2008 consolidated and audited financials in time might already constitute a constructive default, says Carl Philipp R. Thomas, an associate of Luxemburg-based Aequi-Libria consultancy firm and member of Naftogaz Noteholders' Action Group.

KIEV, Aug. 31 - The Finance Ministry expects 75% of the holders of eurobonds issued by state gas company Naftogaz to agree to the rescheduling terms that have been put on the table.

KIEV, Sept. 1 – Poorly developed payment card systems and the high level of fraud with payment cards is pushing Ukrainians to prefer cash to cards, according to the National Bank of Ukraine.

"Today, the growth in retail cashless turnover is characterized by its very low pace. The key reasons for the slow growth of mass cashless payments are the insufficient level of development of payment card servicing infrastructure, the low level of the public's purchasing capacity, and the high level of fraud on the cards of international payment systems," reads an NBU letter to the banks, which was also sent to Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Aug. 29 – Ukrainian energy companies are in talks on obtaining supplies of power coal from Kemerovo (Russia).

"I know that representatives of our energy companies are in talks to bring some coal from [Russia] to Ukraine," Vasyl Melnychuk, the director general of the State Railway Administration of Ukraine, Ukrzaliznytsia, said at a press conference on Aug. 28.

KIEV, Sept. 1 - Russia's gas giant Gazprom has changed its position and now requires a greater increase in natural gas prices that it plans to charge Ukraine next year, a newspaper reported Thursday.

KIEV, Sept. 1 - Ukraine's third largest oil refinery that was supposed to resume operation on Thursday after a four-week maintenance will continue the stoppage indefinitely, a spokeswoman for the company said.

KIEV, Sept. 1 - Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk threw all his economic and political might Thursday to challenge the government and a court ruling that had stripped him of a majority stake in a metal company.